Conservation Treatment of Gilmore the Flying Lion: Treatment

Why is there a lion in the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum collection? In a Museum known for its aviation and space-related artifacts, there is a unique piece of flying history: a taxidermy male African Lion—more fondly known as Gilmore the Flying Lion. As a cub in the 1930s, Gilmore made aviation history when he traveled around the United States with the flamboyant and colorful aviator Roscoe Turner as a mascot for the Gilmore Oil Company. They flew over 25,000 miles together until the big cat outgrew his spot in the aircraft. Gilmore the Flying Lion is now on display in the new Nation of Speed gallery at the Museum in Washington, D.C. Before he could be displayed, we needed to address condition issues such as extensive fur loss, light damage, and previous repairs.

In this final part in our series about the conservation of Gilmore the Flying Lion, we detail the major treatment steps taken to get him ready for display in the new Nation of Speed exhibition. In the previous blogs, we explored his construction, previous interventions, and current condition and summarized discussions about deciding our treatment approach. Here, we explore how this came to fruition.

Not to keep you in suspense—here’s how Gilmore looked when he arrived in the Conservation Lab for treatment compared to how he looked after treatment.

Our process involved removing previous repairs, developing a methodology for adding new hair, addressing light damage, and adding whiskers and claws.

Removing the Previous Repairs

Gilmore had large patches of adhesive mixed with hair fibers, particularly on his left side. It is possible they originally were better integrated, but by 2020 they stood out as stark and disfiguring, and it was decided they should be removed.
Our investigation identified two adhesives were used to make these patches: animal glue and poly (vinyl acetate) (PVA).
There is an inherent challenge in separating similar materials, in this case removing animal glue (protein) from animal hide (protein). As materials age they change physically and chemically, which affects how conservators devise their treatment strategy. To safely remove the previous repairs, we tested a wide range of various solvents and application techniques including various gels and poultices.

We used gels, which allowed for a controlled, slow release of the solvent needed to soften and swell the adhesive for removal. This technique increased the time the solvent needed to dissolve the adhesive, but prevented seeping and the potential ill effects on the underlying animal hide. 

Removing the repairs on his back revealed two large patches of a thick, white-colored shaping material (likely plaster). The hide was nailed around the perimeter of these patches (which accounts for the large clusters of nails seen in the X-radiography!), and it is possible these were used to fill holes in the hide.

Adding New Fur

Two main methods for attaching hair are described in conservation literature.

• Option one: Using an adhesive, directly onto the hide, or onto a thin supporting material which is then attached to the hide. This could be a spun-bond polyester material, Japanese tissue, or similar archival material. 
• Option two: Felting wool roving into a thin supporting layer, then using this to anchor longer hairs. This could be held in place by friction or an adhesive. 

After some experimentation, we found that option one would work best to mimic the surrounding fur. We also needed to find a replacement fiber that was a similar color, length, and texture to the extant fur. A range of animal hides were purchased for comparison. Initially, we explored the use of coyote fur, which was a good color match, but found that the overall effect was too fine, compared to the coarse, light-damaged fur on Gilmore. We finally decided to use cowhide, which had a fiber length, texture, and color that were most sympathetic with Gilmore’s extant fur.

In areas that were completely absent of hair, and where the adhesive fills had been removed, we placed a barrier layer of a non-woven synthetic fabric adhered with a heat-set conservation-grade adhesive which can be easily removed in the future.

The process for adding new hair was time consuming as each area need to be carefully considered for matching length and texture. For example, the hair length on the nose was very short and coarse in comparison to the longer hair on the body.

The time lapse provides a good illustration of the re-hairing process.

Gilmore’s left side had the most extensive areas of hair loss.

Re-coloring Gilmore

The American Museum of Natural History in New York City conducted an extensive project to address light damage on specimens displayed in their dioramas. The methodology developed included working closely with a taxidermist who specializes in accurate re-coloring of historic specimens. Borrowing from this established process, we contacted the same specialist to achieve our final aesthetic goals for Gilmore.  

The taxidermist not only had to compensate for the light damage on the original fur, but also had to adjust the color of the cow hair used for the loss compensation. He added gloss around Gilmore’s eyes, nose, and mouth that also gave Gilmore a more life-like and well cared for appearance.

Adding New Whiskers

Gilmore originally had whiskers when he was displayed in the Turner family home. Unfortunately, after going on display in the Museum’s Exhibition Flight gallery in 1976, visitors took them as souvenirs. The whiskers were replaced several times by National Museum of Natural History taxidermists until the gallery closed in 1981 but they were missing when he arrived in the lab. The American Museum of Natural History in New York developed a method of using African Porcupine hairs to replace feline whiskers, which is seen in their example on a cougar. We replicated this method for Gilmore.

Adding New Claws

Like Gilmore’s whiskers, many of his claws had been removed by visitors, leaving obvious holes in his paws. Claws have a distinctive, translucent look which is created when light passes through them, and we wanted to replicate that authentic appearance. The missing claws we re-created by purchasing several different sizes of plastic claws so they could be used as patterns for creating polyurethane molds. The molds were used cast multiple thin layers of tinted PVA resin incorporating strips of toned Japanese tissue. Once demolded, the claws were secured into the missing areas of Gilmores paws. The hollow-casting method used for the replica claws allows light to pass through them, providing that authentic appearance.

The addition of the claws may be subtle, but we felt they were an important addition to render Gilmore with as much accuracy as possible.

Conclusion

After a long process of research, examination, and discussion by the preservation team and many hours treating previous repairs, hair loss, and light damage, Gilmore was transported from the Emil Buehler Conservation Lab in Chantilly, Virginia, to the National Mall location in Washington, DC, in a specially made enclosure.

Gilmore is now installed with Roscoe Turner’s airplane, the Turner RT-14 Meteor and his flying outfit, as part of the new Nation of Speed gallery. We hope the preservation efforts shared here inspire visitors to better appreciate Gilmore as a heroic flying mascot.

* All images attributed to NASM Conservation staff, unless otherwise specified.
Special Thanks:
George Dante, Wildlife Preservation Services, LLC.
David Adcock and John Boyette for their help editing the time lapse movies.